Chokes, Pattern master vs Black Cloud vs cheapies?

A

Andrew Holley

Well-known member
Went looking for a new choke tube for my Beretta, man alot of choices.

Cheapest is $19.99, not sure what you get

Black Cloud's was $49.99, but does it only work well with their ammo?

Pattern Master was the most expensive at $94.99, their long range model, says it delivers a full pattern at 60 yards.

Before I drop some more money, anybody patterned either of these and what is your thoughts?
 
It all depends on the shooting you do....
If you shoot at most ducks over decoys I/C is good for you.
If you shoot at 30+ yards you'd need some more choke.
Personaly I shoot a full choke all the time and just take a carefull shot at the close ones trying not to center on the birds body but instead try for a head shot,with a tight choke theres no reason to rush a shot, take you're time and place the shot where you need it.
 
I used to have a Patternmaster for my benelli Nova. It worked as advertised. I would say I was getting full patterns at 50 yards using Federal Power shock ammo. I am sure I could have got better results if I would have played with the loads more. I sold it with the gun a few years ago. It sure did put the hurtin on birds up close.

I don't know if I will get another one ore not. Most of my hunting is done with a 20 gauge so I try to only take shot range shots. I think that I would be more likely to take risky long shots if I knew i had the patternmaster in the gun.
 
My thinking on choke tubes is I got 3 when I bought the gun, full, mod & Imp cyl. All 3 will kill birds when used properly at the right ranges. Choke tubes are simply short pieces of steel tube threaded on the outside to fit your gun and bored to give a certain amount of choke on the inside. Doesn't matter whether they're called Patternmaster, Black Cloud, Quacker Smacker, Quacker Stacker or any of the other clever names, there just isn't much magical the manufacturer can do different with a hollow piece of pipe outside of turn it over to the marketing dept to overprice it and come up with a clever name to sell it.

A choke tube is a simple device. Pattern is controlled by the amount of constriction of the choke from the bore size, the gun manufacturers do a pretty job of providing what's needed. I'd pattern the chokes you have before you buy an expensive replacement. I'm willing to bet what you've got is just what you need(unless you've only got 1). I don't think any responsible hunter should be trying to shoot birds at 60 yds. The pellets just don't have enough energy left at that range to reliably bring birds down no matter what the pattern looks like.

My 2 cents.
Jim S
 
Andrew...I've got an xtrema2 and shoot BC. After doing a buttload of patterning with it the other year, my factory IC is what I use 99% of the time. Very consistent pattern with very good percentages on target. I'd check your factory tubes before dropping changed on a fancy one, especially if most of your ducks are over decoys.

Brad
 
I've been using the Mod that came with my Berretta for the 7 years, works for me.
Sometime if I am hunting a really tight spot, I use a skeet tube.
Unless you are having a reallly hard time getting your gun to pattern with the factory tubes, I cant see spending the $$$$ on a high dollar one.
 
I don't do near the amount of patterning I used to, and I don't load right now, either. However, I have seen vast differences from gun to gun, load to load, barrel to barrel, and choke to choke...with patterns. You can usually do a great bit of improvement to factory tube patterns with aftermarket tubes. They don't have to be the most expensive, either. Most will attempt to find a tube/load combo for their gun that gives them the 'best' pattern for their range, and they usually can find something that outdoes their factory tubes. I generally look for a tube that will give consistant kiling patterns with as many of the various shelss/shotsizes/speeds I might shoot in a season. That may mean I get a pattern not quite as good as with another tested tube for one load, but the same tube will pattern about the same %/densityy with several other loads. It makes life a little more simple for me, in the end. Some don't think it's worth giving that much thought. Sometimes, it's not. However, I've seen out of square chokes, choke tube threadings, bent barrels, etc. So regardless of whether or not you want aftermarket tubes, you need to ensure your barrel/chokes shoot and pattern where they are aimes, and then you can worry about fit vs point of impact....a bad choke/barrel/pattern will just ruin your fit and practice efforts, IMO. In my A5 that I shoot most of the time, Terror and Trulock tubes have proven the most versatile out of my Hastings barrel. They also prove consistant out of the invector plus barrel, though by not as much over the factory tubes as with the Hastings.
 
Andrew,
not a fair question till you give your pattern info from your current choke.
Without that it is a guess at best.
If you have it then you can get info on where to go. But without it, buying chokes or even shells for your gun to improve "duck smackin" in your shooting is dollars up the chimney at best.

You need 95 to 100 pellets evenly spaced in a 30" circle to kill mallard size ducks. #3 steel has plenty of power to do it out to 40 yds. on the same size birds.

Grave Yard Dead duck requires three hits in the vital area of the bird. Smaller birds are easier to get three hits with smaller shot and more pellets. Bigger goes the other way.

All this borrowed\quoted from Bob Brister and Tom Roster.

Now if you can break a clay target with your choke and shell at the distance you decoy your birds you are all set. If not spend the money on shells and targets and a thrower or clays course.

I miss more than I like now, but it is not my load or choke,,,,, its the driver who cant wait for his kids to be big enough to shoot clays so I can get back to my practice in the off season.

Good luck

If you haven't done it, 4' white plastic table cloth from walmart makes the best pattern paper going and is way less than a box of shells, let alone a choke tube.
 
Well first you have to know your hunting conditions, decoy or pass shotting...Then you can pattern you gun to those specifics...If you want to figure out which choke works best for you and to pattern you gun correctly you may have to try several things...Sometimes a new choke in a gun will not improve the pattern characteristics nor your shooting abilities that you expected to accomplish...Even the same style choke could be bought and will throw a different pattern...I went through around 30 different chokes to finally get my gun to pattern the way I wanted in my over and under...That was even buying the same style of choke to test, borrowing and trading with friends on others...

Even when you find the right choke you must be consistent with shooting the same style ammo in velocity, size, and etc...I have some BBBs left over from Canada this year that I started the Indiana season and Michigan Season hunting...When I patterned my gun after missing several fundamental shots I noticed the pattern was shooting 10 inches higher with the BBBs. When I shot the normal 2s through 6s at a much higher velocity my pattern fell back into the normal area both barrels where shooting...

My experience with choke systems is that you must try to make a honest assumption through your hunting experience and test them yourself...Perception in the market place plays a strong role in the decision making of the consumer to purchase things that would otherwise give them no real advantage...Specially in the case of factory standard chokes to your specific backbored marketed chokes such as pattern master...Though some people swear by them...I have hunted with them seeing no real advantage...Learning your gun and it's pattern will be the greatest thing you can do before thinking about special choke systems...

The reality of the situation is that you will just have to try out yourself...

Kristan
 
I use the chokes with the gun.Standard steel shot I use a mod. or improved but it should be patterned on a board. Black cloud with improved cylinder works on my sbe. Get the birds in is the most important thing, the closer the better. Eyes and feet then bust the beak. John
 
I've had a patternmaster for about 10 years. If you can make the shot, they will hold the pellets together. I almost always use it when goose hunting, but especially for pass shooting or other longer shots. I would not encourage it for ducks, except long range Mallards or something - again, you have to know your effective range. Also, I've never had good luck with shot size smaller than BB.

I don't pattern chokes/loads religiously, but I do if I'm not happy with what I see in the field. Normally I just shoot whatever comes with the gun and see how it goes. I did buy a replacement choke back when I had an SP10 because I wasn't happy with the factory patterns and the aftermarket choke really delivered.

I would buy cheap, then pattern and evaluate. Purchase progressively more expensive chokes as you wear out the supply in the lower price ranges. Generally, shotgun shooting is pretty basic and it has more to do with the shooter than equipment.

NR
 
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